Metallic fireplace



J. F. SNYDER.

Fireplace.

Patented July 18, 1854.

Illlll1||l UNITED srArEs PATENT 0mm.

JOHN RSNYDER, oroULPnPER, VIRGINIA.

MErAn Ic FIREPLACE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,340, dated July 18, 1854;.

To all whom z'tmay concern Be it 'known that I, JOHN F. SNYDER, of Culpeper, in the county of Culpeper, State ,of Virginia, have invented Improvements in Metallic Fireplaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1. is a front elevations Fig. 2. is a section taken in line as m. Fig. 3. is a detached end view of the blower. The nature of my invention consists in constructing a blower which is to be used in the ordinary fire place, or in coal-grates and in all places where it can be used to advantage. The blower is so constructed that it may be easily coiled around a cylinder or uncoiled as the case may require. Said cylinder receives a rotary motion from a crank or otherwise, by uncoiling the blower which forms an apron, the lower edgepasses down in front of the fire, and lessens the size of the fluethus when the blower is raised up and the flue is of the ordinary size, the draft is very light, but when the blower is down in a position to greatly diminish the size of the flue, the draft becomes very strong, and will assist greatly in kindling fires, &c. In many instances fire places are liable to smoke, which is a very great annoyance, the reason of this is, because the flue is either too high or too low. I have proved by eX- periments that the flue of chimneys must be of a height corresponding to the height of the chimney, or the size of the flue must be regulated to the other proportion of the work, and to circumstances, such, as the direction of the wind, and the position of the building, it is impossible to build a fire place of solid masonry that can accommodate itself to all of these peculiarities, some chimneys will draw a great deal too hard, when the wind is in the south, but when the wind is in the northwest they will smoke and become very troublesome, while another fire place in the same building may act very differently. These difficulties all arise from a want of proportion in the parts as before described, my apparatus acts as a regulator, and will regulate any chimney however bad it may be, and prevent it from smoking in the most effectual manner, also when it is desirable to shut Off the draft and prevent it from burning, the blower may be closed or drawn down so as to stop the draft, and at the same time the heat may be retained by closing the valve, in the chimney line above, by so doing a uniform heat may be preserved for many hours.

To enable others skilled in the arts to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct a metallic fire place A of a convenient. size and form, and insert it in a proper position in the flue ofthe ordinary fire place, as seen'in Figs. 1 and 2. I also construct a Windlass B around which I coil the apron or blower C, said Windlass is placed in a trunk D, as seen in Fig. 2, which is placed directly over the fire place.

The blower C is constructed of sheet metal in sections a, a, a, of a suitable width, and of a length sufiicient to extend'across the fire place, as seen in Fig. 1. These sections are then bent into a concave form, as seen in Fig. 3, and united together firmly by means .of joints 7), said joints being so constructed as to admit of the apron or blower being easily coiled on the cylinder, and at the same time when the blower is uncoiled it will effectually close all the crevices or apertures, as seen in Fig. 3. When the blower is let down or uncoiled from the Windlass, it passes down in grooves (Z formed in the jambs, seen in Fig. 2. I also construct (when circumstances will admit of it) chimneys of a circular form and provide them with a valve f, which may be operated in any convenient manner, when the valve is closed and the blower is drawn down so as to intercept the draft, the fire will burn very slowly, and thus maintain a uniform degree of heat as before descrlbed,

for a great length of time.

There are many advantages gained by the by means of Weights and pulleys as that is an old device; but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Forming the screen With narrow metallic strips having a concave surface connected by links, making them flexible and easily coiled into a small space on a cylinder, the

Whole being arranged and constructed in the manner and for the purpose set forth. 10 Signed and sealed on this thirtieth day of May 1854.

JOHN F. SNYDER. [L. s.]v Witnesses:

THOS. JAMESON, H. F. WILLSON. 

